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There are few interesting indie releases opening in local theaters this weekend, alongside Jordan Peele’s directorial horror debut Get Out. The first is a war-drama titled Bitter Harvest, starring Max Irons (The Host, Woman in Gold) and Samantha Barks (Les Miserables, The Christmas Candle) as lovers facing the oncoming Ukraine Genocide of 1932-1933 under Joseph Stalin. The film comes from director George Mendeluk and follows a young artists (Irons) as he works to save his love, Natalka (Barks), from being rounded up and executed as part of the death-by-starvation camps that would be made all the more famous during Hitler’s time in Nazi Germany during World War II. The script comes from writer Richard Bachynsky Hoover and co-stars Terence Stamp (Superman, Young Guns) and Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile). Continue reading →

Character actor Abe Vigoda passed away earlier this week at the age of 94. According to his daughter, Carol Vigoda Fuchs, the actor died peacefully and had not been suffering from any illnesses. Vigoda spent years working in the New York theater scene before he was cast as the mafia hitman Sal Tessio in Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather. Following the huge success of The Godfather, and The Godfather Part II, Vigoda was cast as Detective Phil Fish in 1975 on the show Barney Miller, which ran until 1982 and earned Vigoda three Emmy Award nominations in 1976, 1977, and 1978 respectively. Ironically enough, the announcement of his death re-sparked an old controversy about whether or not the actor was still alive: a false report stating that Vigoda had died was published in 1986, igniting a controversy among movie-goers and fans as to whether or not the actor was really still alive or had actually died. A website dedicated to Google searches for ‘Is Abe Vigoda really dead?’ was updated this week to respond ‘Yes.’ Regardless of his questionable death status, Vigoda’s roles and contributions to film will be remembered by his co-stars like Al Pacino (Serpico, Heat), Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now, The Judge), and Hal Linden (Barney Miller, Out To Sea). Abe, you will be missed!

Warner Bros. Pictures has taken a potential new direction with their upcoming Pinocchio production with star Robert Downey Jr. (The Avengers, The Judge). Downey has been attached to the project for several years now, with various names like Ben Stiller being tossed around to direct. But now Warner Bros. is turning to Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, The Master) to re-write the current script by Michael Mitnick with the aim at possibly directing as well. Paul Thomas Anderson writing a Pinocchio script is already pretty surprising, but given his impressive catalogue of work this may turn out to be a really great move! As far as the story goes, Downey is expected to appear as Geppetto, the woodworker who makes a boy puppet that miraculously comes to life, who sets out on a journey to reunite with his lost puppet. Nothing is confirmed yet, but let’s hope this one comes together. Stay tuned for more news.

At last we have the first big blockbuster release for 2015. Avengers: Age of Ultron is now playing in theaters nationwide, and with the huge success the film saw during its European release two weeks ago, it should be an even bigger hit here in the US. Robert Downey Jr (Good Night and Good Luck, The Judge), Chris Evans (Captain America: The First Avenger, Unstoppable), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Spirit), Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World, Rush), Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island, Now You See Me), Jeremy Renner (The Bourne Legacy, American Hustle), and Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Django: Unchained) are all back to reprise their roles as the Avengers, with Golden Globe nominee James Spader (The Blacklist, Lincoln) providing the voice of Ultron. Oscar-nominated writer/director Joss Whedon (Toy Story, The Avengers) also returned to lead the project. Here’s the trailer one more time, now go see it on the big screen!!

The follow-up to 2012’s Avengers (excluding solo projects we’ve seen released in-between like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 3) is coming to theaters this May 1st. Reuniting for the film are actors Robert Downey Jr. (The Soloist, The Judge), Scarlett Johansson (We Bought A Zoo, Lucy), Chris Hemsworth (Thor: The Dark World, Rush), Chris Evans (Fantastic Four, Snowpiercer), Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Shutter Island), and Jeremy Renner (The Bourne Legacy, American Hustle) as the Avengers, who this time out must join forces against the evil Ultron, who emerges with the intent of carrying out his destructive plans over planet Earth. Also back to write the script and direct the film is Oscar-nominee Joss Whedon (Toy Story, The Cabin in the Woods), as well as supporting cast members Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Snakes on a Plane), Cobie Smulders (Delivery Man, The Lego Movie), Tom Hiddleston (War Horse, Thor: The Dark World), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass 2, Godzilla). You can see the trailer here on MADE; the original Avengers movie grossed more than $200 million in the opening weekend, so we’ll be sure to watch if this sequel can break that record.

Last November, actor Paul Walker was killed in a single-car accident in Santa Clarita, California at the age of 40, along with his long-time friend Roger Rodas. Rodas was driving a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT at a speed of about 90mph, which was the cause for the crash, but before the investigation could be carried out to determine the official cause of death, a panel from the roof of the crashed vehicle was stolen by two bystanders, who were apparently warned by police officers on the scene that they were not permitted to remove anything from the car or accident site. That being said, the two men, Anthony Edward Janow and Jameson Brooks, proceeded to steal the roof panel while the tow truck hauling the vehicle was stopped at a light. The two suspects pleaded no contest on Tuesday evening to felony and misdemeanor counts of grand theft, destruction of evidence, and obstructing, resisting, and delaying a police officer. LA County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Nash has stated that both men are expected to receive 180 days in the county jail, with Witty scheduled to be sentenced in August and Janow to be sentenced in October. Moral of the story: you can’t fix stupid.

Warner Bros. is currently working on a biopic for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner with producer Jerry Weintraub (The Karate Kid, Ocean’s Eleven). The project is being written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, The Last King of Scottland) and is set to be directed by Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin. Dobkin is currently wrapping up his latest project, a drama called The Judge starring Robert Downey Jr. and David Krumholtz, which is set for release this October. It is still unclear how the script will play out, if it will simply cover his early days with Playboy or more of a whole life chronicle, but considering the subject matter is Hugh Hefner and Playboy I’m sure it will be pretty graphic. Stay tuned for more.